A known display device, also referred to as an electronic price tag or also as “Electronic Shelf Label,” abbreviated ESL, in the technical jargon, is in radio contact with a base station during operation and controlled with regard to its operating states with the aid of the base station. During operation, price and/or product information on the products with which the ESL is associated is reproduced with the aid of a display integrated in the ESL. The ESL is usually fastened to a shelf rail of a shelf on which the product in question is stored or displayed. In the case of an ESL which is supplied autonomously with electric power, for example with the aid of a battery or of a solar module which charges an accumulator battery when exposed to light, a maximally reduced energy consumption plays a role in achieving a longest possible useful life. The wireless protocol used for the radio communication with the base station is one aspect which takes this aim into consideration. According to this wireless protocol, for each ESL, only relatively short pre-defined time periods for communication with a base station are available. Another aspect is the provision of operating states with very different power consumption, namely with a sleep or rest state when no communication with the base station can be carried out and with an active state when a communication with the base station can be carried out. The interaction of these two aspects enables a longest possible operation of the ESL in a state with exceedingly low energy consumption, interrupted by short time periods in which, in comparison thereto, the energy consumption is relatively high. This operating scheme has proven to be very effective in routine display operation in salesrooms of a retailer such as, for example, a supermarket, when all that is involved is communication with the base station and processing of the information to be displayed. However, in practice it has been found that sometimes a more rapid reaction speed of the ESL or an improved functionality is desirable, in particular in operating situations which differ from routine display operation.
Therefore, the aim of the invention is to provide an improved display device.